Sesshomaru in Shaman Fight
by woolalala
Summary: It's essentially Inuyasha Shaman King. Yoh's accompanying spirit is Sesshomaru this time. Hao's accompanying spirit is still the spirit of fire. Please read and review, thanks.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Yoh and Manta **

**Five Hundred Years Ago, Within The Great Spirit… **

"You WILL NOT harm the humans!"

In a split second, Sesshomaru was right in front of Hao.

Hao gave an evil sneer and replied, "Why are you, an evil demon who hates humans, trying to save them? They are the most selfish and cruel creatures the world has ever since. Isn't this what you think of them?"

Sesshomaru interrupted angrily, "That was in the past." The blade of his kyũselshu (his new sword) gleamed in the light emitted from the Great Spirit as he tightened his grip on the handle. "I am now… different…"

Hao looked at Sesshomaru with mad amusement. _Such a fool… He shall die with the humans then…_ The burning fingers of the spirit of fire pierced through Sesshomaru. But his victory did not last. The cold hard steel sliced through his neck and all consciousness was lost. Hao was slain.

Sesshomaru put kyũselshu back into the sheath, and smiled for the longest time he had ever smiled. Everything dimmed to the eventual darkness as he left the world.

**Present Time, At A Graveyard In Tokyo…**

Yoh yawned loudly. He had just finished school and as usual, he was going to spend the night with his "friends".

"Hey Aku, hey Jack, how's it going?" The both of them were in the middle of a fight. "Come' on, this isn't going to get us anywhere, can it? You're both dead already – you can't hurt each other."

They paused for a moment, as if in deep thought, and then continued fighting. Yoh shook his head as he walked towards his other "friends". He sat down and began to chat with them.

Quite a distance away, a short kid was spying on them. _What's the new kid doing? Man… Hold on… Are those… Ghosts?… _He began to become afraid, but his curious mind was in control of his legs – he wouldn't budge. He was listening so intensely that he did not realise the earth he stood on was loose and that he was slowly slipping. (I'm sure you know what's gonna happen next) He tumbled and fell down the slope and almost hit his head on a gravestone when a silver haired man caught him.

"Oi kid, better be bit careful will ya. You nearly got yourself killed," he smirked smugly.

"Inuyasha, let's go. The last train is going off already. Hey who's this kid. He's pretty cute… Who am I kidding? He's SOOOO DARN adorable!"

The lady picked the boy up and pinched his face HARD, causing him to cry out in pain. He then looked at the man called Inuyasha and whispered thanks. The couple then rushed off quickly.

The boy wiped his sweat off, and gave a relieved sigh. He was going to leave, when he saw Yoh in front of him now. Surprised, shocked and afraid, he fell back and then got back up again.

"What's up with that??? When? What? How did you appear in front of me so quickly???"

"Huh? Oh er… I walked, of course. Hehehe." Yoh offered the boy his hand. "I'm Yoh, what's your name?"

The boy refused his help and got up. Plucking up his courage, he replied rudely, "I'm Manta, you're the new kid aren't you?"

"Oh yeah… You're in my new class!"

Manta fell back again, this time in surprise of Yoh's slow reaction.

He got up once more and asked "what the heck are you doing here?"

"With my 'Good friends' of course," Yoh replied calmly, smiling, his arms around two translucent figures. One of them did not have eyes. "Wanna know how they died? This guy here died quite gruesomely."

Manta's eyes widened in fear and without warning ran off screaming.

"Hey man! Wait up…"

But he was already too far away to hear what Yoh had to say.

**The Very Next Day**

"I'm telling you. That new kid talks to ghosts. I saw it with my own two eyes!"

"Yeah right, and I can talk to vampires"

The rest of them laughed mockingly, as Manta fumed. At that moment, Yoh entered the room and gave them a friendly smile. Manta began to ramble on about Yoh, but nobody was listening anymore.

Yoh tapped his shoulder and asked, "Hey why did you run away last night?"

Surprised at the question, he paused, and then replied agitatedly, "WHAT DO YOU THINK???"

This wiped the smile off Yoh's face and he went back to his seat. The lesson then begun, but Manta was not paying any attention. He was too busy thinking about the events last night. He stole a glance at Yoh and realised he was sleeping.

"WHAT??? HE'S SLEEPING???" Manta shouted loudly.

The teacher shook his head disapprovingly at him and went on with the lesson.

"Oyamada, stay back after school."

After that encounter with the teacher, he walked out of the school angrily.

"Oi Manta! Wait up!"

Yoh gasped for breath as he approached Manta.

"Hey… I'm sorry I got you into trouble. And about last night… I'm sorry for the scare I gave you. You know… People who can see spirits are not bad people…"

Manta, who obviously did not expect such words, finally smiled for the first time at him.

"Maybe we can be friends?"

"Yeah… Why not?"

**-END-

* * *

**This was written by someone else. Please read and review, thanks 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Encounter With Sesshomaru**

The two new friends were taking a slow, long stroll to the graveyard after school, chatting happily as they walk.

"Do spirits really exist?"

"Hehehe. Of course – you saw it for yourself the other day, didn't you?"

"Yeah true… But still, it's quite hard to believe. I mean… Spirits? Come' on, nobody really believes that stuff"

"You know… People who can see spirits are not bad people"

"Yeah. You said it before."

"Hehehe. Did I?"

Manta smacked his forehead once again, at his friend's slow intake, and then paused in his footsteps again. They have reached their destination.

They sat down at a massive rectangular tombstone with the engravings "Amidamaru" and Yoh began to introduce his "friends" to Manta. The mammoth fear Manta felt soon dissolved to nothing, as he got used to talking to the spirits. This continued for weeks, and no doubt, they became the best of friends.

Then winter came. Nevertheless, they still went to the graveyard, but they saw something different that day. There was a tall, silver haired man looking down at the snow. Curious, they approached him slowly and cautiously to take a closer look.

He lifted his head and said suddenly, "[Asakura Yoh, I have been waiting for you."

Yoh chuckled and then asked, "Are you sure you didn't get the wrong guy?"

"[I, Sesshomaru, never error. I, Sesshomaru, never make mistakes."

Manta fell back and exclaimed, "WHAT??? Sesshomaru? As in Sesshomaru the legendary dog demon? I thought it was just a legend. Wait…" Manta scratched his head. "Doesn't this mean demons actually exist?"

"[I have no obligations to explain such matters to a tiny human child. I am here to find Asakura Yoh. I need him to defeat Hao."

At that moment, a gust of wind blew across the graveyard, and a child walked in slowly. Each step he took evapourated the snow beneath his shoe, and he approached with an air of arrogance. Manta froze in his position. _This guy is dangerous. I can sense it…_

"Hello Sesshomaru. Hello brother." He waved happily. "Long time no see."

"Hao!" Sesshomaru and Yoh yelled out in unison.

"You see. I'm here to see how strong you are, Yoh. I need to know whether if you are strong enough, and whether I should keep you as my half, or whether I should just discard you."

As Hao spoke, a towering figure appeared behind him. It was the spirit of fire.

"[If you want a fight, we will give you one. I shall make do with the weak human body first."

Yoh scowled, but began his spirit possession.

"SESSHOMARU! IN SPIRIT BALL FORM! SPIRIT POSSESSION!"

Sesshomaru was now in Yoh's body. Yoh's agility increased tremendously – he had never felt this way before.

"A mere spirit possession would not even hurt me. Hahaha… But this is interesting, come on, let this fight begin!"

Yoh and Sesshomaru ran towards Hao with deadly agility for the attack, but the spirit of fire blocked it, causing them to fly backwards, onto a tombstone. The tombstone broke into half and Yoh struggled to stand up.

"[Ha. I knew a human body wouldn't be strong enough."

"Nonsense, we can still win." Yoh panted.

Taken aback by what Yoh said, Sesshomaru paused, and then smiled.

"[Find kyũselshu, my blade. It is under the tombstone of Amidamaru. Worry not. It is vacant, Amidamaru left long ago." Sesshomaru told Yoh secretly.

Hao laughed loudly, and bellowed smugly, "What? Can't take it?"

The spirit of fire reached for them, but they quickly dodged, and its attack destroyed the tombstone instead. It continued to chase Yoh, thus ridding him of any chance to go near kyũselshu. Seeing this, Manta struggled to put his fear aside, rushed towards the rubble and began to dig, He dug frantically, till his fingers bled, and finally, he noticed a tiny glitter of silver. He took kyũselshu out and threw it to Yoh, who with the newly found reflexes, and he caught it. Yoh and Sesshomaru now ran towards Hao with the new weapon and attempted to slash him. However, their attempt was furtile – the spirit of fire blocked the attack once more and punched Yoh, causing him to fly towards another tombstone.

As he crashed into the tombstone, blood trickled down his chin – Yoh was very badly injured.

"[Yoh! Do not give up! Get up and continue to fight. We must not lose."

Yoh slowly got up to his feet once more, now chuckling weakly.

"Hehehe… I'm okay." He removed Sesshomaru from his body. "Let's try something new, shall we?"

Instead of putting Sesshomaru into his body, Yoh inserted him into kyũselshu, causing it to glow. Hao looked at them with the familiar mad amusement and laughed once more.

"An oversoul? You're a fast learner. You have proved yourself worthy. Train harder, Yoh, I need you to be strong so that I can complete my powers."

With that, Hao got onto the spirit of fire and disappeared into the horizon.

Still bleeding badly, Yoh chuckled softly and then collasped onto the ground, now obvilous to both Manta's and Sesshomaru's yells. When he awoke, he found himself in a hospital, Manta (sleeping) Sesshomaru were beside him.

"[You're awake, Yoh."

"Uh… Man… What happened?"

"You got yourself injured by a fool."

Everyone looked at the source of those words (even Manta, who was awokened by these words) – it was a girl. Yoh opened his mouth in shock, Sesshomaru remained expressionless, and Manta approached the girl.

"Oi. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Shut up. You have no right to talk to me this way." The girl slapped Manta hard and he fell onto the floor. "I'm Anna, Yoh's fiancee, and the future wife of the Shaman King."

**-END-**


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter 3: Jaken The Wise**

The situation now was very tense. Manta was still on the floor, unable to get up because of the shock. Sesshomaru pretended to remain expressionless, but his scared looking golden eyes betrayed him, Yoh already got up, with an expression of pure fear all over his face.

"FIANCEE???"

Anna sighed deeply, and continued, "Yoh will join the Shaman fight."

"Er… Anna? Ar-aren't you sup-supposed to be at my grandmother's?"

"She told me to come, so I came. I'm thirsty, get me some drinks, shrimp."

Manta suddenly found his courage and stood up, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP???"

Anna's right hand rose up into the air and swished down like a whip. SLAP. Manta fell back onto the floor once more.

"[What a scary lady…" Sesshomaru whispered to Yoh. (This was a huge mistake – Anna heard him.)

Manta got up and left the room quickly. He had intended to leave the place, but found himself going towards the direction of the vending machines. _Why am I obeying her orders? Who does she think she is anyway? _Just then, Yoh came running to him.

"Yoh? What are you doing here?"

"I managed to escape… Told her I was going to the loo. Hehehe."

"Is Anna… Really your fiancée?"

"Yup"

"…"

Then Yoh began to tear, and sobbed, "That Anna… She always makes me cry whenever I see her…"

Manta shook his head in pity for his friend, and inserted a coin into the machine. He took the drink, walked a few steps in front, gesturing Yoh to follow him.

"Well, let's go back soon. Before she gets angry and all"

Yoh nodded his head in agreement and hastened his footsteps.

They opened the door to Yoh's ward and saw something very unexpected – Sesshomaru was actually tearing. Anna's beads were wrapped around him, TIGHTLY, Sesshomaru was suffering.

"[Yoh… Help me… I can't breathe."

"Stop making up excuses. You don't need to breathe." Anna tightened the beads around him. "You are a strong youkai spirit – perfect for the future Shaman King. Oh yeah, REMEMBER. Call me Anna SAN. Remember to say the SAN"

Sesshomaru murmured something, but nobody heard what he said. Yoh walked forth cautiously, and then asked, "Why did you tie him up?"

"He tried to escape."

"[I need a stronger body if I ever want to destroy Hao completely."

"Anna, maybe you can just let him go?…" Yoh's voice trailed off.

"I am the future wife of the Shaman King – I want to live a comfortable life. Isn't that what you want as well? A comfortable life. Sesshomaru is strong, he can help you achieve that."

"It's okay. We can always find another spirit…"

Yoh's words were followed by a moment of awkward silence. Then Anna broke that silence again and spoke, "Where's that drink I told you to get me?"

Manta handed the drink to her silently, which she took a small sip before putting it down on the table. She then loosened the beads wrapping Sesshomaru, and took the drink up again.

"[You're really letting me go?"

"That's what Yoh wants anyway. AND it's also what you want."

"[…"

With that, Sesshomaru exited the hospital, in search for a stronger shaman. Not long after, Yoh was discharged from the hospital. No doubt he was upset that Sesshomaru refused to be his accompanying spirit, but he tried to be as cheerful as possible.

He went back to his home in Tokyo, accompanied by Anna and Manta. The days passed, and the bitter cold was coming to an end (school was going to reopen as well). Then one day, there was a knock on his house door. Yoh opened the door and looked around, but there were nobody.

"Down here," came a raspy voice.

Yoh was startled by the voice and looked down. It was a short, green creature, which held a long wrangled wooden staff.

"Hello," it spoke in that raspy voice, and gave a small bow. "My name is Jaken and here is Sesshomaru-sama"

"[Yoh. We meet again."

Feeling both happy and surprised, Yoh invited both of them in.

"Anna, guess who's here?"

"Yeah. Jaken and Sesshomaru."

"Woah. How did you know that?"

"I heard Jaken from here."

"Er… Okay. So, Jaken, what brings you here?"

The creature called Jaken placed his staff on the floor and then sat on the couch. He gave a small cough and then began to explain, "I am an imp youkai, I have lived in this world for a very long time. 2000 years ago, I was a follower of Sesshomaru's father, Inutaisho-sama. 1000 years after that, I served Sesshomaru-sama. It was that same 1000 years ago, when Hao appeared. At that time, we met him, but did not bother ourselves with him as Sesshomaru-sama still despised humans. Then 500 years after that, he met a girl which changed his life… A little girl. His attitude towards humans changed. With the Tenseiga inherited from his father, he began to save lives, instead of taking them. He even captured a two-headed horse demon called ah-un just for her, but he did it secretly anyway. The girl grew up to be a beautiful lady, and Sesshomaru-sama…"

"[Ahem"

"Right. Anyway, she changed him. His personality changed – he became less serious, and more liberal with his feelings. However, the man called Hao killed the girl one day. Hao was an exceptionally ambitious human, he wanted to obtain the Great Spirit through the Shaman Fight. Unfortunately, he despised his non-shaman counterparts, as he had suffered the discrimination – these normal humans fear his supernatural powers. Hao wanted to create a world only for shamans upon obtaining the Great Spirit, and eliminate the other humans. This would include the girl."

"Sesshomaru-sama would never let that happen, so he went to oppose him. In the middle of their first fight, the girl was worried for Sesshomaru-sama, and went to look for him. I tried to stop her, but she snuck out while I was taking a nap. The fierce battle destroyed the surroundings. The trees burnt to dust and the ground cracked. For that girl, death was inevitable; she was doomed. When the girl was killed, Sesshomaru-sama ceased fighting and Hao escaped. The last thing he heard was her scream, and the only thing left of her was her torn kimono. Devastated, Sesshomaru-sama forged the sword kyũselshu, which means 'saviour', he wrapped the kimono around the handle in memory of the girl." Jaken rubbed his eyes.

"I was partly to blame. The guilt caused me to leave Sesshomaru-sama, and I crossed the seas, over the place you call America today. Quite coincidentally, that was also where Hao was going, for the Shaman Fight. This meant Sesshomaru-sama was going there, too. Sesshomaru-sama and Hao had their second and last battle. When I arrived, both of them were already dead, and I managed to salvage a few of Sesshomaru-sama's possessions – kyũselshu, Tenseiga the armor, and the fluff… Which was so comfortable and nice to sleep on and…"

"[Get to the point, Jaken."

"Yes of course, Sesshomaru-sama. Well, I took the four treasures and left for Tokyo, but there was a huge storm. I fell into the icy waters ; Tenseiga and the fluff was lost. I managed to survive and brought kyũselshu and the armor back. As a small-sized demon, I could not carry both items with me all the time. So I hid kyũselshu under Amidamaru's tombstone, and kept the armor. I still could not see spirits at that time. It was until Sesshomaru-sama learnt how to possess me, then I obtained that ability to see spirits. As the years passed by, the wars in Japan ceased, but the people realised that there were still many demons. They saw demons as threats to peace and order, and so they killed most of them, whether they were half or pure demons. To escape from them, thousands of demons attempted to escape through a magic well, but ended up destroying it. This was the very same one which Inuyasha, Sesshomaru-sama's half brother, and his girl, Kagome, used. This trapped them in the world 500 years from then, which is now, where we are, in here, with us, but not really with us and…"

"[GET TO THE POINT!"

"Ahem. Erm. Sorry. Where was I? Oh yes. I hid in Miroku and Sango's house for a few decades and then spent the rest of the time hiding in the shadows. Until now… Well. That's the background on your accompanying spirit, Yoh."

"Accompanying spirit?"

"Yes. Arh. Try on the armor for size will you? And do not worry. The demonic powers of the armor has been neutralised over the years, it would not do you any harm at all."

Yoh beamed and the both of them and put on the armor, and realised it was too big. Jaken chuckled and tapped the armor with his staff, and it shrunk to fit him.

"Sesshomaru-sama. Anything you want to say before you officially become Yoh's accompanying spirit?"

"[I… Erm… Nothing." Sesshomaru turned away. "[Thank you, Jaken"

"Keep it down there. I'm trying to watch my show," Anna said menacingly.

Yoh was still beaming at the both of them. This was truly the beginning of his career.

**-END-**

* * *

Thank you for your generous comments. I'm quite flattered, really. This chapter is a bit lengthy and dry, as it has many explainations for stuff that happen. Well, Thank you for reading!

K.S


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Shaman Fight In Tokyo **

**In A Building, Somewhere In Tokyo…**

Hao opened the door to let the crowd outside enter.

The 'INTERVIEW FOR HAO'S FOLLOWERS' banner fluttered in the wind, as he sat down and welcomed his first candidate.

"So what can you do?"

"I can shoot beams out of my eyes. Observe!"

The Arabian man took out a pair of sunglasses, and did an over soul. The beams, did not blast in front however, but blasted inwards – at his own eyes instead. He screamed in pain as he writhed and turned around on the floor.

Hao shook his head, and bellowed, "NEXT."

The second candidate was a small, bald, Black girl. Hao turned his head behind in disgust, and asked, "What can you do?"

"Opacho is small!"

"Yeah whatever. You're in. Anyway, what happened to your hair?"

"I don't have hair. But I did find some fluffy white material by the seashore. But it's white – Opacho is Black!"

"Dye it black."

"Good idea, Hao-sama."

With that, Opacho entered the next room happily.

"NEXT."

This time, an ordinary looking man entered the room.

"Can I use your bathroom?"

Hao yawned, and then spoke, "whatever."

"NEXT."

Another Arabian entered the room and pointed at his feet.

"I can shoot beams out of my feet. Look!"

Apparently, he could shoot beams out of his feet, but this energy also propelled him through the rooftop, and out of the building. Hao shook his head again.

"NEXT."

The next candidate pushed up his spectacles, and spoke, "I want to join the X-Laws." He pushed up his spectacles again and continued, "I need to defeat Hao."

"WRONG PLACE. It's in the building opposite." Hao slapped his forehead. "NEXT."

"Good day, my name is Peyote"

"Let me guess," Hao rubbed his chin. "You're a Mexican."

"Eres Correcto"

"You play the guitar."

"Eres Correcto"

"You use skeletons as mediums."

"Eres Correcto"

"Alright. You're in."

"Eres Correcto"

"NEXT."

Another Arabian entered the room. Hao sighed deeply, and motioned for him to sit down.

"I can shoot beams out of my hand. See!"

He aimed outside and yelled, "BEAM!" Indeed it worked much better than the previous two Arabians. It blasted a hole through the wall.

"You're in."

The Arabian bowed and entered the next room.

_Finally_, Hao gave a relieved sigh, and he went on to lock the door. That was all for the day.

**Somewhere Else In Tokyo…**

Anna was still sitting on the couch, watching her programme. Then she spoke suddenly, "Jaken, you may take the guest room. Stay for as long as you like."

"Yes-s, Anna-san. Tha-ank you," Jaken replied timidly. _For a second, I thought this human girl feels more dangerous than Sesshomaru-sama._

Jaken went to the room quickly, tripping over a loose wooden plank on his way.

"Yoh, your training begins tomorrow morning. I would advise you to get some sleep now. Enjoy your last few hours of beauty sleep."

"[I have a bad feeling about this…"

Yoh shook his head in pity for himself, and went straight to bed after saying "Goodnight" to Anna. Inside the room, he began to sob.

"You know, Sesshomaru. I have a bad feeling about this too…"

They were both spot on. The very next morning, Yoh woke up, thinking that he did not have to make breakfast for Anna because of the training. He was, however, VERY wrong. For the first day, Anna made him cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he ran a total distance of 20km. The second day, he cooked the meals, and then ran 15km, with 20kg weights hung all around him. The training got worse after every passing day, and it was made worse because of the slippery, melting snow.

Then school reopened. Yoh was relieved of his training, well, most of it. Anna continued to torture Yoh, even in school. Manta wanted badly to help, but he knew that was nothing he could do to stop Anna. It has become a fact that the penalty for opposing Anna was DEATH. All he could do was to encourage and comfort his poor pal.

Soon, spring was over and it was summer. They were on vacation again, this meant more training for Yoh. This was also the time when Yoh began his quest to become the Shaman King.

The weather was burning hot, and Anna and Yoh was taking a stroll in the park. (This is also Yoh's first pure rest time.)

"Great job in all the training, Yoh."

Afraid that this rest time will become a discussion session on his training, Yoh hastily offered, "The weather's hot. Let me get you a drink."

Anna nodded her head and sat down at a bench.

"Make it quick."

"Hehehe. Okay."

With that, Yoh rushed off to the drinks shop nearby. He entered the shop and asked for drinks. The shopkeeper was a tall and long-haired guy, and did not look like a local. Yet, there was something familiar about him.

"That will be 200 yen please."

Yoh dug his pocket, found his 500 yen bill, and handed it to the shopkeeper. As he counted the change, he commented, "Seems like there are many visitors to Tokyo recently, don't you think?

"Uh… I didn't really notice."

"It's like as if there is some sort of an event or something."

"Hehehe… You're right, I guess."

"Here's your change sir. Please come again."

Yoh smiled and left the shop, and rushed to Anna.

"[Yoh, there's something weird about that shopkeeper. I can sense it", Sesshomaru warned.

"Hehehe. It's okay. He seems harmless, and he's friendly, too."

"[You're just as easy-going as ever…"

"Hehehe…"

"What took you so long?" Anna was standing, with her arms crossed.

"I delayed him a bit. It's not really his fault." A man in an American-Indian attire was sitting at the other bench.

It was the shopkeeper. Yoh chuckled and then waved at him (He waved back).

"I'm here for an urgent matter," He spoke, as he slowly stood up. "My name is Silva. I'm one of the ten priests in-charge of the Shaman Fight. I came today to test whether you are worthy to even join the fight.."

Yoh scratched his, and asked, "How?"

"You must defeat me, and upon my defeat, you will get this oracle bell which will give you the eligibility to join the Shaman Fight."

"Hehehe. Okay, when can we start?"

"Now. Hit me with your best shot."

Yoh's eyes twinkled, and he ran towards Silva.

"SESSHOMARU! IN KYŨSELSHU, OVERSOUL!"

Then Yoh stopped in his tracks. His oversoul has taken a new form – the armor given by Jaken has evolved into spikes, which appeared along his left arm. In his right hand was a glowing kyũselshu.

"I see you have learnt the 'Oversoul,'" Silva laughed. "Great job."

"Uh…"

"Come' on now, don't hestitate"

Yoh nodded his head, smiled, and then charged at Silva once more. His first blow whacked down on an invisible barrier. Looking more closely, Yoh realised it was a tortise spirit – Silva had used the tortise oversoul as a shield to block the attack. Looking even more closely, Yoh noticed another four more spirits – an eagle, a snake, a fox-like creature and an ox.

Yoh smiled, and charged once more with great speed. His blows showered on Silva like raindrops on a steel roof. It was Silva's turn to smile this time. He used the eagle oversoul and flew backwards.

"If you survive this. I'll take it as you pass." Silva combined the five spirits to form some sort of a giant cannon. "SILVER ARMS!"

A massive beam of energy blasted at Yoh, the surrounding benches and trees were demolished. Anna's eyes widened in fear of losing Yoh. _Yoh, nothing bad must happen to you._ The dust from the attack settled slowly, revealing Yoh, panting badly, but perfectly fine other than that. There was a blue barrier around him. _Thank goodness…_ Anna erased the worried look on her face and gave a relieved sigh.

"[The armor still works. That Jaken… Armor's demonic powers neutralised eh? I'll get him."

"Excellent work, Yoh." Silva smiled widely, and handed him the oracle bell. "Take it, you deserve it."

Yoh smiled back weakly and gave two thumbs up.

"Thanks Silva, but really, I owe it to Anna and Sesshomaru. Ain't that right, Sesshomaru?"

Anna blushed slightly, but Sesshomaru was not listening anymore. He was looking at a young girl walking in his direction.

"[Rin?…"

**-END-

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**Once again, thank you for reading and reviewing. Very nice of you. Note: The barrier in this chapter is similar to that of Naraku. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Qualifying Round 1 – Snow In Summer**

The girl caught Sesshomaru's stare and her face lit up.

"Awesome! A cosplay! Who are you guys supposed to be?"

Sesshomaru replied glumly, "[I'm Sesshomaru."

"I'm Yoh. Hehehe."

"Anna."

"Silva." Silva laughs.

"Never heard of any Yoh, Anna or Silva. But I've heard of Sesshomaru, the great dog youkai. Anyway, great costumes guys. I got to go now, see you guys around." She smiled sweetly as she walked away. "I'm Shizen, by the way. "

"[Shizen…" Sesshomaru whispered. "[That's a wonderful name."

Sesshomaru looked longingly at Shizen as she disappeared from his view.

Anna snorted, "That's her right? The girl Jaken told us about. Rin."

"[You are sharp."

Then they went back home together, with the incidents at the back of their heads (Yoh thought about the shaman fight, while Sesshomaru thought about Rin. Anna's thoughts remain a mystery.) At their residence, they argued about what they should watch.

"What's so nice about Ringo? Come' on, Bob is so much cooler."

"Ringo has a very unique personality and she puts it through her songs. Unlike Bob, who sings rubbish."

"…" Yoh sobbed. "I have been training for months now, and I also got my oracle bell today. Come' on… Just let me watch the Bob specials programme."

"No."

"Come' on…"

"No."

"Pretty…"

"NO."

Yoh gulped, he had lost, again. Sesshomaru shook his head and mumbled something about humans and weirdness. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Jaken, answer the door."

"Rig-ght away, Anna-san!"

Jaken sprinted out from his room to answer the door, and saw Manta.

"Hey Yoh. Hey Anna."

"Anna-SAN."

"Er. Okay. Anna-san."

Yoh grinned, and asked, "What brings you here, Manta?"

Manta grinned back nervously, "Just visiting."

Then Sesshomaru walked towards the direction of the door.

"[Yoh, Anna-sa-sa-san" He forced himself to say. "I'm going out for a moment."

The four of them looked at each other, as Sesshomaru walked through the door.

Jaken proclaimed, "Sesshomaru-sama must have went out to find that girl!"

"We know that." Anna and Yoh said in unison.

"Know what? Someone tell me what's going on?" Manta asked impatiently.

Jaken brightened up all of the sudden, and began to ramble on about Sesshomaru. At the end of his explanation, Manta's mouth was widened in shock. He had remembered the description of Sesshomaru he read in books, and it was very different from the Sesshomaru now.

Jaken then asked suddenly, "Do you guys know why Rin, or rather, Shizen, can see Sesshomaru-sama?"

Everyone looked at him, waiting for his explanation.

**Outside The House…**

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was drifting high up in the sky, looking for the girl called Shizen. Then he spotted the familiar smile and swooped down immediately.

He walked towards her slowly now, gave her a small smile and waved.

"[Hello Shizen. What a coincidence."

Shizen turned around and waved, her smile was the most beautiful thing Sesshomaru had ever seen in his life.

"Hey. You're still in your costume! That's so professional!"

"[Uh…"

"Which company do you work for anyway?"

"[Er. Odex."

"Wow. Odex… What are you doing here?"

"[Er…" Sesshomaru thought hard. "[I'm doing some publicity stunt for my company."

_That's it. Man I'm good. _He smiled, and then bid Shizen goodbye, contented that he could see her again.

"Who were you talking to, Shizen?" asked her friend, Tenma.

"Eh. Some guy dressed as Sesshomaru. "

"Who? Where?… Don't scare me, Shizen. I didn't see anyone…"

**Back In The House…**

"Sesshomaru-sama saved Rin's life four times. Though he did not realize it, but each time he did that, he poured part of his soul into her. Rin became more like Sesshomaru – that was the first sign. The second sign was that demons dared not approach her anymore, even when she was alone. Finally, she managed to stay very calm in times of danger."

They thought about what Jaken had said, Ringo's music still blasting from the television. Then Anna switched off the television.

"That's all for today. It's late. Manta, come back tomorrow. Jaken, go back to your room, and don't come out unless I call you. Yoh, go to bed."

All three of them obeyed her immediately. Just then, Sesshomaru had returned to their residence, and at that instant, the oracle bell rung. Everyone went to Yoh and looked at the flashing icon.

"Uh… Silva didn't tell me how to use it."

"Try that red button?"

Bingo, the flashing icon brought them to the 'messages' section. Shaman Fight: Qualifying round 1… Venue: Heiyu… Date: 17-06-2005… Time: 00 00 HRS… Asakura Yoh VS Horohoro

They looked at each other.

"Wow, that's only three days away!"

Anna gave an evil smile and went to her room.

"I wonder what kind of a person that Horohoro guy is?"

"Hehehe. Sounds like boroboro (crap in Japanese)."

"As usual… Yoh, the easy-going guy…"

"Hehehe. Get home soon, Manta. It's getting dark. I got to sleep soon too." Yoh scratched the back of his neck and whispered, "I'm sure Anna is formulating some hell training schedule right now."

Yoh's prediction came true. For the next two days, he returned home completely drenched in sweat. This time, even Sesshomaru shook his head in pity for him. Then the day came.

**Venue: On Top Of Heiyu Departmental Store**

**Date: 16-06-2005**

**Time: 23 58 HRS**

Yoh was ready. Well, almost ready. Anna handed him a package.

"Anna, Isn't that my old training outfit?"

"Put it on now."

One minute later, Yoh reappeared with the outfit. Manta could not control his laughter – he burst out laughing at the sight of Yoh in that ridiculously tight-fitting costume.

"What's so funny?"

"Hahaha! It's just…"

"I made it."

The mere three words silenced Manta. Then, from the top of the building beside Heiyu came a loud shout, which broke the silence. They all looked up and squinted to look more carefully – it was a boy who held a snowboard.

"Yo guys!" came the shout, and he jumped off the building.

_He actually jumped off the building like that… _They looked more closely – the snowboard was his medium.

"Heh. So you're Yoh? That's a cute outfit!" He guffaws.

"What's so funny about the outfit, Boroboro?"

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here. You can't be Asakura Yoh, can you?"

"I'm his fiancée."

"So what?"

"Rude," Anna rose her hand into the air, and it landed on the left side of Horohoro's face like a bazooka.

"Oi. Whatcha hit me for?"

Then Manta interrupted, "Erm. Stop arguing. The time now is eleven fifty-nine pm."

"Heh. Let's get this over with then."

"Wa-ait… I got this annoying itch on my back." Yoh reached for his back. "Okay, I'm done."

3… 2… 1… START!

"KORORO! IN SNOWBOARD! OVERSOUL!"

The fight has officially began.

"Wa-ait…"

"The victor is the one who finishes off the other most quickly." Horohoro laughed. "TOWER OF ICE!"

He flew up into the sky and formed a giant shard of ice on the bottom of his snowboard. Horohoro smiled smugly as he leaned his weight on the snowboard, causing it to accelerate greatly at Yoh, who had not done his oversoul yet. There was a deafening crash, and the enormous ice shard broke into millions other tiny ones. As the dust settled, it was revealed that Yoh was all right. Once again, the barrier protected him.

_He did his oversoul in such a short time? _Horohoro grimaced, _I probably belittled him. _Horohoro flew his snowboard into the air again and formed ice crystals on it again.

"Heh. Take this!" He yelled, as he whacked the snowboard down on the ground. Icicles sprouted out of the ground like grass, and it all burst out in the direction of Yoh. It was a futile attempt – Yoh merely slashed them all with one swift blow.

"Let's do this, Sesshomaru."

"[Uh."

Holding kyũselshu in his right hand, Yoh ran forth swiftly and slashed a few times, but Horohoro dodged it all. Horohoro got onto his snowboard again. _Looks like I have to resort to this._

"I come from a place plagued by natural disasters. One of the most feared, and most destructive natural disasters is the avalanche." Horohoro boomed, as he accended steadily into the dark night sky. "Test the effect of my ulitmate technique! DEVOURING AVALANCHE!"

A huge wave of snow crashed down on Yoh from all four directions, Anna and Manta shocked at that scene. It was impossible that anyone could have survived that. Horohoro panted badly, his furyoku (A shaman's measure of power) was at its critical. _I did it._

Then Yoh burst out of the snow, and prodded the side of Horohoro's head with the handle of kyũselshu.

"Huh? Why didn't you just finish me off?"

"Er… Your furyoku is gone already."

Indeed it was. Kororo was already out of the snowboard. Yoh had won the first match.

**-END-**

**

* * *

**Sorry for the slow upload. I was rushing my holiday assignments. And again, Thanks for your comments! Please read and review! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Qualifying Round 2 – Is There A Doctor In The House?**

"Latest update. This morning, our reporter found some melting snow at the top of the Heiyu building. Scientists are still unable to find out the cause of this bizarre phenomenon…"

Yoh, Sesshomaru, Anna, Manta, Horohoro and Kororo were in Yoh and Anna's living room.

"That was a nice fight, Yoh. I still couldn't believe you defeated me so easily."

"Hehehe. I had help." Sesshomaru appeared behind him, and Yoh gestured at Anna and Manta. "And some moral support."

"Well, I'm glad my sister is not here."

"How come?"

Then there came a knock from the door.

"Answer the door, Jaken."

"Right away, Anna-san!" Jaken rushed out of his room to the door, nearly slipped, and then opened the door to welcome the visitor.

"Pirika?…"

"Onii-san! No time to waste now, you already lost one match, you CAN'T afford to lose another!" Pirika began to tie Horohoro up. "I have your training all planned out already."

Everyone else stared at Horohoro as he was being dragged about, and Yoh waved (Horohoro waved back).

"Yoh! I'll come by some other time when I'm 'free'! Train hard!"

"Uh… You too…"

At the same time, there was a man standing at a hill opposite the house.

"[He's strong, Silva. Nevertheless, you should not pay so much attention on him," the eagle mentioned.

"[This may impair your judgment," continued the snake.

"[And this may make it unfair for the other participants. Isn't that right, foxy?" asked the turtle.

"[Don't call me that, I'm a coyote Eh. Yeah. The ten priests are supposed to be impartial, so that they can help select a worthy person to be the shaman king. What do you think, Bison?"

"[I…"

"Don't worry guys. Yes, I admit I have a slight liking for this child, and his youkai spirit. But I know what I'm doing, I know my limits."

"[… All right…"

_Heh. Yoh always surprise us. Will he do it again for the next match?_ Silva smiled and then disappeared from the hill.

Soon, school reopened again. Yoh found it increasingly difficult to balance both his studies and his shaman training. Seeing this, Anna secretly decreased his dose of training gradually. Manta, who was excellent in his studies, tried to aid him with his homework. Soon, Yoh's physical training was completely converted to furyoku training. Then came one school day – during a math test, the oracle bell rung.

"Who was that?" the teacher asked.

Anna stood up, and took out her hand phone. "Sorry, I forgot to switch it off."

The teacher took the hand phone from her, and then kept it in his pocket, "Get it from me after class."

Yoh winked at Anna and gave her two thumbs up, as the teacher turned around to copy down her name on his list. The three of them waited impatiently for the bell to ring. Then it did, and they gathered around Yoh.

Shaman Fight: Qualifying round 2…Venue: Chokohama Cemetery… Date: 04-08-2005… Time: 00 00HRS… Asakura Yoh VS Johann George Faust VIII

"Faust VIII?" Manta scratched his head. "I think I've heard of him somewhere.

"Hehehe. Leave it, Manta. It's okay."

"Eh. I better check it out anyway. The match is only another three days away." With that, Manta rushed to the library, while the rest of them walked back home slowly, thinking about how the next match will turn out.

**Venue: Over The Hill**

**Date: 16-06-2005**

**Time: 00 03**

"Never… EVER… Insult my dear Eliza…" the first man was furious.

"Okay okay! I got it… Please… Don't kill me…", the second man pleaded.

"Don't… Kill you?" he whispered, and then gave a maniac laugh. "You do not deserve to live."

There was a loud scream, and then silence fell once more. The first man smiled, as he wiped off the blood on his scythe.

"Wonder who my next opponent is? Aren't you curious too, Eliza?"

Silva grimaced, _I better look for Anna. Yoh will die if he fights._

**Venue: On An Empty Street**

**Date: 18-06-2005**

**Time: 00 01**

The boy had won already, even though the match had barely begun. His opponent writhed on the ground, still clutching his severed leg. Blood was splattered all over the place. The boy was advancing, to finish him off.

The priest could watch no more, "That's enough, Tao Ren. The match is over, there is no need to kill him."

The boy called Tao Ren turned around and glared at him. With a single slash using his kwan dao, he chopped the priest into half.

"Nobody tells me what to do."

Then he went on to finish off his opponent…

**Back In Yoh's House…**

There was a knock on the door. Jaken ran to the door automatically, to receive the visitor.

"Guys, I know who Faust is." Manta panted. "He was the legendary Faust from Germany in the early 15th century, who made a pact with the devil. Faust was unsatisfied with the limited knowledge he could ever get, so he exchanged his soul for all the knowledge in the world, including necromancy."

"Necromancy?" Yoh asked.

"Yes. Necromancy, the ability to raise the dead."

Jaken peeked out from his room, and Sesshomaru stopped pretending to be uninterested. Everyone listened intently to Manta, who was quite taken aback with the response.

Then he continued, "The next match is in a cementary. This means it's not going to be easy at all, Yoh."

Yoh grinned, "It's okay. Hehehe. I'll just wait and see."

**Venue: Chokohama****Cemetery**

**Date: 03-06-2005**

**Time: 23 59**

"Phew. Looks like we're not late."

"Eh… Manta… Are you sure you want to be here?"

"Yeah… Sure I do."

"Hehehe… Okay. Watch out then. This is surely going to get messy."

Then came Faust VIII. He was just a frail-looking man, sitting on a wheelchair, with a ridiculously huge suitcase in his lap, and a skeleton dog walking beside him.

Faust waved, "Hello. Please go easy on me, I'm really nothing much."

**At A Resturant, In A Private Room…**

Silva rocked the chair nervously, as he waited for Anna to appear. There she was. He stood up and sat her in, and then begun, "Yoh must not fight in the next match."

"What are you saying?"

"His next opponent, Faust VIII, already killed his first opponent. I, too, had witnessed his power. He is too strong for Yoh."

"Doesn't matter, Yoh will still fight."

"… Aren't you worried that Yoh may get killed?"

"Let it be. This would mean Yoh is unworthy of me." She forced herself to say. "Yoh must never retreat."

**Back In The Cemetery…**

3… 2… 1… START!

Faust jerked immediately, and stood up from the wheelchair. The wind blew across the cemetery, revealing his patched up chest, as he yelled out happily, "Rise! Rise from the ground, from your deep slumber. Wake up, to serve me, to help me attain my goal!"

Yoh quickly did his oversoul and got ready for the fight. Then, from the ground, skeleton hands rose up, as they slowly climbed out from their graves.

"Back away, Manta! It's too dangerous!"

Manta obeyed, and ran outside the cemetery. Yoh now faced a hundred-strong skeleton army. He tightened his grip on kyũselshu, and swiftly cut through the bone barrier, to attack Faust. Meanwhile, Faust slowly opened his suitcase, took out a scythe, and then a set of human bones.

"Wow. You're fast. Let's have more people to join the party then. RISE!"

Even more skeletons broke out from their graves, and they lumbered clumsily towards Yoh. Now there was at least a thousand of these skeletons. With the blade firmly held in his right hand, Yoh bellowed, "DEMON SLAYING TECHNIQUE!"

With that, he destroyed everything with a single blow, and he then went for Faust. Yoh's aim was accurate; it broke one of his legs. However, Faust did not react in the way most people would - instead, he laughed. Yoh's eyes widened with shock as he snapped off the bad leg, and replaced it with another one.

"I am a doctor. I can fix this easily. While a normal person requires a few months to recover, I only need a few minutes." Faust explained, as he put the bone into place. "

Yoh backed away; he could sense some danger now. Indeed, more skeletons appeared from the ground, and the destroyed skeletons reformed. Yoh continued to whack the skeletons with all his might.

Meanwhile, on the hill overlooking the cemetery, Anna, Manta and Silva were looking intently.

"[Yoh is totally falling for his trap," said the eagle.

"[Faust is only using a tiny fraction of his overall furyoku," continued the snake.

"[And Yoh has already used up so much of his own," continued the turtle.

"[If this goes on, Yoh may lose this match," concluded the coyote.

"[I..."

"Shut up, you all. Yoh will not lose..."

Yoh is now panting, his battle suit drenched with sweat. Yet, Faust was still in his tip-top condition. This was when Yoh finally realised that it was a trick. Faust, knowing that Yoh had already realised, then held up the set of human bones he took from the briefcase, and mumbled something. The surrounding skeletons broke down into powder and they swirled around that set of human bones. Flesh seem to form around the bones gradually, and then the figure of a young woman appeared.

Faust handed her the scythe, and whispered, "Let's finish this, Eliza."

The woman glided quickly to Yoh and swiftly branished the scythe. Yoh dodged in time, and recieved the next blow with kyũselshu. He knew his furyoku was being depleted quickly. With the last burst of energy, Yoh sliced her legs, causing her to fall and crumble. The shock on Faust's face soon turned to anger, and he screamed, "How dare you hurt my Eliza!"

"Why bother about a doll, which has no life? Why not..."

Yoh's words were cut short by the now highly agitated Faust, "DOLL??? YOU DARE CALL MY ELIZA A DOLL???"

"[It is a doll. Live with that." Sesshomaru appeared (This means Yoh's Furyoku is completely depleted).

This mad Faust much more furious.

"DOLL??? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S A DOLL!"

He summoned all the skeletons around the cemetery, and formed one colossal skull. Faust stood on top of it as its red eyes glowed erieely. Silva stood up, and ran forth in an attempt to prevent him from killing Yoh, but it was too late. Faust was going to crush Yoh with that skull, Silva could never make it. Then just then, fireballs fell from the sky, and scorched the skull, causing it to crumble to pieces.

"I am Tao Ren, the future Shaman King." The culprit exclaimed. "I won''t let you die yet, because you are my next opponent."

"Hehehe..." Yoh chuckled weakly, and then everything went blank again.

"[Yoh!"

"Yoh!"

**-END-**

**

* * *

**Well, it's a little late, but anyway, Merry Christmas everyone. And also, sorry for the very late update, will update asap again. And of course, special thanks to skskinuyasha for your support. It's much appreciated.

Note:

The people watching usually stand on hills as they can get a clearer view from there.

In this story, Tao Ren is a fire user.

This is the first time Yoh met Tao Ren here.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Qualifying Round 3 – Fiery Fury**

In Tokyo City… 

A silver-haired man carrying a young lady whizzed through the city. They were going to the renowned master, Asakura Yohmei.

"Not so fast, Inuyasha! Look out for the cars!"

"Arh shut up woman, I know where I am going…"

There was a deafening bang, as Inuyasha rammed into a large, sturdy, wooden door. There was a faded sign, which read "Asakura Family".

"Wow. We're here already!"

"Ow. Kagome… Help me up will ya?"

She bent down and pulled him up with much difficulty, and then proceeded to knock on the door. A short, balding, elderly man answered the door shortly.

He looked curiously at the couple, and asked, "What do you want?"

Kagome swallowed, and plucked her courage, "I want to be a Shaman."

**In The Hospital…**

Yoh tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy. He could only see a few blurred figures in front of him. Soon, as his eyes got accustomed to the light, his vision cleared up. In front of him were Anna, Manta and Sesshomaru.

"[Yoh!"

"Hehehe… I'm okay. Hold on…" His voice trailed off. "I lost… Didn't I?…"

There was a long moment of silence, and then Anna spoke, "This means you can't afford to lose another match."

Yoh looked at them thoughtfully, and then said suddenly, "I'll have to train at my grandpa's once more."

The next day, Yoh left for his grandfather's house along with Sesshomaru. The road was long and tiring – they had to take a few buses and a train. Nevertheless, they reached their destination soon enough. As Yoh walked slowly to the familiar wooden door, he hesitated. Then Asakura Yohmei opened the door suddenly.

"What a pleasant surprise. Look who's here." He winked.

As they walked to the living room slowly, Yoh introduced Sesshomaru and told his grandfather the purpose of his visit.

"You want to be stronger?"

Yoh nodded, and both him and Sesshomaru listened intently.

"Then you'll have to die."

"What?" Yoh dug his ear furiously, thinking he had heard wrong.

"You'll have to die," his grandfather repeated.

The three of them proceeded to the living room, and Yoh noticed Tamao, one of his juniors, and two other seemingly familiar faces.

"Senior Yoh!" Tamao exclaimed excitedly. "Glad to see you again!"

"Uh… Nice to see you too. Who are they?"

The silver-haired man stood out, and Sesshomaru fell back.

"[INUYASHA???" Sesshomaru yelled, with an indescribable look on his face. "[AND KAGOME?"

"Uh? You know them?"

The guy called Inuyasha gave them a weird look, and replied, "We're half brothers…"

Then they asked in unison, "What happened to you???"

"[…"

Then Inuyasha's face lit up.

"Hehehe… This means you can't hurt me. Nehneh!" He made a funny face at Sesshomaru.

"Don't be mean, Inuyasha. He's already dead."

Inuyasha ignored her, and went on with the taunting.

Kagome sighed, and then said softly, "oswari."

The effect of that mere word was devastating – Inuyasha crashed down into the floor, breaking a hole in the wooden planks. Yohmei shook his head, and there was a small quake, which caused Tamao to fall.

"[…"

"…"

It went on like this until night time, when everything was clarified. Then it was time for Asakura Yohmei to explain his previous words, to his grandson.

"When I say 'you'll have to die', I meant you'll have to go through the Cave of Hades."

"Cave of Hades?"

"That's correct. It is an extremely dark cave, and when people enter…"

"[They lose all their senses – sight, hearing, touch and smell." Sesshomaru interrupted. "[I have been in it before, in search of someone…"

"Uh. Right. We must first carry on the purification procedure." He said, as he dragged Yoh to the waterfall behind. "Sesshomaru, you have to come along."

"[Yoh is in for a wild time." Sesshomaru whispered to himself, as he drifted alongside them. He knew it would not be an easy feat, even a powerful demon like him took ten whole days to pass the cave.

The pure waters of the waterfall gushed down hard on Yoh's back, while the grandfather stood by the side.

"You're done. Tomorrow, we will set off for the Cave of Hades."

The next day, Tamao and the others bid wished them luck, and they traveled to the cave. The trip was silent – nobody spoke a single word. Then they were there, at the entrance of the Cave of Hades.

"Are you really sure you want to do this, Yoh?" Asakura Yohmei rubbed his chin. "You may really die in there."

"It's okay. I can handle this. Hehehe…" Yoh chuckled, as he entered the cave.

_Good luck, Yoh._

**Back In Tokyo City (six days after Yoh entered the Cave of Hades)…**

Manta and Jaken were doing chores for Anna.

"Why are we doing this?" Manta asked suddenly.

"I don't know. Just know we have to do this or something bad may happen."

Manta gulped, nodded his head in agreement, and went on with his work.

"Who wants to go with me to Yoh's grandfather's place?"

"For what?" Manta asked quickly.

"To receive Yoh from his training, of course."

"All right, I'm in!"

Jaken thought, _if I go, I don't have to do these chores again. However… If I don't go, I can stay here, all by myself, with nothing to do!_

He smiled at his smart thinking, and then gave his answer, "Not me."

"Good. Then you'll have to settle this list of chores to do, until we come back."

Anna handed Jaken a folded list, which thickness could only matched with a book. Jaken stared at the list with amazement. _Wrong decision…_

"How are we going to reach there?" Manta asked curiously, while helping to pack the luggage.

"Helicopter."

"You have a helicopter?"

"No. But you do."

"…"

Later that day, they set off for Asakura Yohmei's house, lugging giant bags of souvenirs (There are 7bags. Anna carried one, which contained the lightest goods, and Manta carried the rest.). When they reached there, it was already the next day morning.

"Anna! What a surprise… I wasn't expecting you at all. And who's this kid?"

"Hello grandpa. He's a friend of Yoh."

"Friend? Hmm…" Yohmei looked at Manta curiously. "What are you waiting for? Come in! Yoh went into the Cave of Hades six days ago. He should be out soon."

"Perfect. Let's go now then."

"People usually take ten days or so…"

"I believe Yoh can finish it in seven days."

"…" The grandfather was quite taken aback at such a reply. "Okay. Let's go then."

"Here are some gifts we bought from Tokyo. There're for you and the others."

"Uh. INUYASHA!" He screamed, and the hanyou appeared almost instantly.

"Yes?"

"Take these in."

Inuyasha grumbled, and then dragged the goods into the house.

"Let's go."

They were now camping outside the Cave of Hades – Anna, Manta, Sesshomaru and Yohmei. Then Yoh came out suddenly, his clothes slightly torn and ragged, but he was still smiling.

"Hello guys."

"Yoh!" Manta exclaimed, happy to see him again.

Then there came a noise from Yoh's stomach.

"Hehehe… Anyone brought any food? I've gone seven days and seven nights without food."

"…"

_Once again, he surprised me again. That MISTER Yoh…_

After a quick meal, Yoh was told to try doing an oversoul again. He did it, and this time, there is something different about it – the spikes on the armor were shorter, and there seemed to be a larger concentration of Sesshomaru's spirit in the sword.

"[Yoh. Try attacking that tree from here."

Yoh shrugged, and then, with a slack movement of the blade, he splintered the tree. The earth between him and the tree also cracked slightly. Everyone stared, amazed with the new technique.

"[This was a fighting technique I created, when I was still alive. I call it 'demon crusher'"

Shaman Fight: Qualifying round 3…Venue: Tallest Mountain In Hinohara… Date: 21-12-2005… Time: 01 00HRS… Asakura Yoh VS Tao Ren

**Venue: Tallest Mountain In Hinohara**

**Date: 21-12-2005**

**Time: 01 06HRS**

Yoh panted hard, as he finally climbed up the mountain. An annoyed looking Tao Ren was already there.

"You're late," he said, as he did his oversoul. "Let's not waste too much time on this."

"Hehehe. Sorry. Couldn't find the place."

"GOLDEN SLASH DANCE!"

Ren began the fight. Yoh dodged the attack swiftly, and when he had recovered, he had already done the oversoul. Flames burst out at where he was standing just seconds ago.

"Nice reflexes. But not good enough!"

Ren brandished his kwan dao again, and this time, Yoh blocked it with his armor. With a loud cry, he pushed Ren upwards, and then excecuted his new move.

"DEMON CRUSHER!"

The attack blew up half the mountaintop, but Ren managed to dodge it slightly. _How did he get so strong suddenly?_

"GOLDEN SLASH DANCE!"

Yoh jumped away easily, and then brandished kyũselshu gently. This time, it was a direct hit. Tao Ren's shirt got ripped off and his shoulder began to bleed slightly.

"Arh… Sorry about that…" Yoh apologised.

The fire cackled, as Yoh bent down to help Ren up. The results of the match was finalised.

**-END-**

* * *

Hey. Sorry for the really late upload. I really gotta rush - I have two tests in the first week of school. So... Really sorry that I can probably upload one chapter each week, preferably on a weekend. Oh, and two more things.

1. I need to know whether Goldva is a man or a woman. In the manga, Goldva was refered as "He", while in the anime, Goldva was refered as "Lady Goldva". What do you think?

2. Do you want me to talk more about Kagome? Coz my sis said it's abit lame, when Kagome became a shaman. If don't want, then I'll probably just skip that.

Once again, thanks for reading. Really Really Really Really Really much appreciated, especially ESPECIALLY skskinuyasha.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Many New Companions**

**On The Tallest Mountain In Hinohara… **

Yoh offered his hand to Tao Ren, but he ignored it.

"Why did I lose the match?" he said suddenly. "True, my guardian spirit pales in comparison to yours, but I trained much more than you…"

"That's because of the way you view Bason."

"What?"

"Sesshomaru is my friend."

"…"

"[…"

**At The Hot Springs… **

The four boys were chatting about the shaman fight, while relaxing in the hot springs.

"I still don't understand how I lost."

"Hehehe… View Bason as your friend."

"That's stupid. Spirits are tools we shamans use."

Horohoro shook his head and added, "I see Kororo as my friend."

"I'm not a shaman, but I also view spirits as friends."

"[I have no friends." Sesshomaru cut in suddenly.

Just then, Jaken walked in and spoke excitedly, "Of course you do, Sesshomaru-sama! Me and Rin are your friends!"

"[…", there was a seemingly murderous look on Sesshomaru's face.

"Oh yeah. Rin is not your friend. She was your girl…"

Jaken was interrupted by the presence of another boy, who just entered the room.

"Hao?"

"Hello guys."

Tao Ren and Horohoro looked at Yoh and Hao, obviously lost.

"I came to congratulate Yoh for his success in the qualifying rounds."

"Hao! What does this got to do with you?" Manta screamed.

"Heh. Take care of my other half, Yoh. And get stronger. I may decide to dispose of you instead."

"What's with all this tough talk?" Tao Ren stood up.

"You wanna fight?" Horohoro got up and put on a bathrobe quickly.

"None of you are my match."

With that, Hao summoned the spirit of fire, and blasted out of the place, leaving behind debris and rubble. Then the oracle bell rung suddenly.

All shamans who passed the qualifying rounds: Please assemble behind Mount Fuji. Date: 15-01-2006, Time: 12 00

**Venue: Yoh's residence**

**Date: 31-12-2005**

**Time: 23 55 **

"Arhhh… Soul Bob is still the best!"

"Nah. He's not even half as good as Ringo."

"No way. Bob's much better."

"Ringo's better."

"Bob."

"Ringo."

"Bob."

"Ringo." There was something final in the tone, and silence fell.

Manta shook his head. _Childish. _

Anna glanced at him expressionlessly and then asked calmly, "Who are you calling childish?"

"…"

"Hey hey guys… That's enough. It's only a few minutes away from the new year."

"[Yoh is right you know. Though I still follow the lunar calendar, but I'm still looking forward to your new year."

"Who asked for your opinion?"

"[…"

Ghostly tears rolled down Sesshomaru's cheeks for the first time in his death. _She really is scary…_

"Well… It's less than a minute to 2006…"

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!"

**Venue: Behind Mount Fuji**

**Date: 15-01-2006**

**Time: 12 00**

"THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TODAY," the commentator spoke into the microphone. "I AM GOLDVA, LEADER OF THE TEN PRIESTS. FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRAULATE ALL FOR PASSING THE QUALIFYING ROUNDS."

There were only about a hundred of shamans in the place – a hundred, out of the many in the world. Among them were Hao and his followers, who stood at the farthest end. Everyone were listening intently to Goldva.

"THE OFFICIAL MATCH WILL TAKE PLACE IN PATCH VILLAGE, WHICH IS IN AMERICA AND SO A PLANE WILL BE PROVIDED FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS ONLY. YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS ANOTHER TWO MORE TESTS TO TAKE PART IN THE OFFICIAL MATCH!" Goldva paused, and looked at a piece of paper, and then continued, "THE TENTATIVE DATE WILL BE ON THE FIRST OF FEBRUARY, AND TIME WOULD BE ONE O' CLOCK SHARP IN THE AFTERNOON. THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR EVERYONE, YOU ARE ALL DISMISSED."

**Venue: Yoh's Residence **

**Date: 31-01-2006**

**Time: Close To Bed Time**

Yoh was in his room, getting ready to sleep, but again, he knew he could not fall asleep that night. Then someone came into the room.

"Can I sleep here tonight? With you…"

Yoh looked at the direction of the door, shocked at first, and then nodded to Anna.

"Uh…"

She laid herself beside him, and closed her eyes. Awkward, but glad, Yoh closed his eyes too.

**The Next Day… **

Everyone was assembled at the airport. Then Yoh saw somebody unexpected.

"Tamao?"

"Hey senior Yoh. Urm. I'm here with Kagome-chan."

"You're in the Shaman Fight?"

"Yes. Hehe." She grinned shyly. "Madam sent Kagome-chan and me to help you become the Shaman King."

Kagome exclaimed, "Oh right! Forgot to introduce my guardian spirit to you guys. She's Midoriko, the priestress who created the shikon jewel in her bid to destroy the demons. I freed her from the jewel when it was destroyed the other time."

Yoh chuckled, and shook hands with the two girls. Then they saw four people walk in their direction. Yoh recognised two of them immediately as Tao Ren and Horohoro, the third was a total stranger who wore a black overcoat, but the fourth person looked familiar.

"[Rin?"

Shizen looked up at Sesshormaru, and smiled happily. "That was my name in my past life. I'm Shizen now, Sesshomaru-sama."

"[Shizen…"

Yoh waved both his hands over his head, gesturing them to stop and asked, "And who are you?"

The stranger smiled, and introduced himself, "My name is Rick – Rick Antidisestablishmentarianism."

"Anti- wad?"

"Antidisestablishmentarianism! I'm an Englishman."

"Hahaha. His name sounds funny."

"Hey you. Who are you to laugh at my name?"

Horohoro laughed, "Yeah. Whatever, Ricky."

"I'M RICK!"

This time, everyone laughed (Tao Ren and Sesshomaru tried to control, but they failed).

"Arh crap. Who cares. Arh yes, I'm sure you have heard of this guy. Let me introduce my guardian spirit – Bankotsu!"

A young man appeared behind him. There were some markings on his face, and he donned a white attire.

"Who's that?"

"Never heard of him."

"Was he a singer?"

"[No. He was the mercenary who killed a thousand warlords and a thousand demons."

There was a very long pause. Then Yoh scratched his head, the day had been too weird for him to digest so quickly. The appearance of so many new people was giving him a headache. Luckily for him, an announcement was made for them to board the plane immediately, and they walked towards it without another word.

Now, they were on the plane already. Yoh looked out of the window, wondering about so many things. _How are Anna and Manta? How's the rest of the Shaman Fight going to be? _Then he smiled, and muttered, "No one knows what will happen in the future. There is no sense in worrying in something you do not and cannot control, so why bother?"

"Huh? What?" Horohoro, who was sitting beside him stirred from his sleep.

"Arh nothing, nothing…"

He snorted, and then went back to sleep, but was awoken shortly by a loud "hello." They turned their heads in the direction of the source of the voice and saw Hao waving at them. Yoh waved back, smilingly.

"Heh. Why are you waving back at him?"

"Well. He waved at us. Hehehe…"

"…"

Soon after, the plane lifted off. The plane was only flying for a few hours, when the announcement was made.

"EVERYONE! THIS IS YOUR FIRST TEST!"

The plane vanished immediately, and then everyone went falling downwards. Hao immediately summoned his spirit of fire, and began to fly himself and his followers. Horohoro, obviously still groggy from his sleep, thought this was just a bad dream and went back to sleep. Ren kicked him hard and shouted, but with no avail. The girls screamed loudly, while Rick had burst into tears. All over the place, many of the shamans were panicking, only a few of them could fly.

"Hahaha. This is where all the weaklings are eliminated."

This woke Horohoro up from his deep slumber, and realising that it was not a dream, he screamed and shouted.

"CALM DOWN EVERYONE!" Yoh bellowed. "THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHETHER WE CAN FLY! WE MUST STAY CALM, AND WE'LL FIND A WAY OUT!"

"Yoh's right. No point worrying." Tao Ren said, as he fell headfirst.

Everyone listened, and all of them tried to stay calm.

"Concentrate… NOW!"

At that instant, everyone created their oversoul, and managed to land safely.

"Phew… That was close!"

Everyone got up to their feet, and they stood there, not knowing what to do. Then the oracle bell beeped.

-If you are reading this message. It means that you have passed the first test. The second test is to find Patch Village, which will be the exact venue for the offical Shaman Fight.-

"Sesshomaru. Can you fly up in the sky and help us look for a way out?"

"[Of course, Yoh."

With that, he drifted into the sky and looked around.

"[There is a small town about 30km from here."

"Wow. You can see that?"

"[Of course he can. Sesshomaru is a powerful dog Youkai, and his senses are exceptional – probably a million times as sharp as those of humans." Midoriko explained.

"Well then. Let's walk there and see whether we can gather any information on Patch Village."

"All right."

With that, Yoh and his newly found companions began to walk to the town.

**-END-**

* * *

Sorry for the really late update. I was tied down by homework, revision and work. This was quite a hectic week for me. Well, the story was kinda rushed a bit, so I may have made some mistakes here and there, so please tell me if you spot any. Tell me what you think of it. Heh, once again, thanks for reading. Enjoy! 

PS: Now onwards, I shall use -...- to represent the oracle bell messages. I just realised that the symbols I used previously disappeared upon saving.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Where's Patch Village?**

"Excuse me madam!" Yoh panted, as he ran towards the lady. "Have you heard of Patch Village?"

"Patch Village?" She thought hard. "Never heard of it."

Yoh and the rest were already in the town, asking for directions, but with no luck. Soon, night was falling, and they were stranded in the town, with no lodging or food. Hungry and tired, they roamed around the place endlessly, looking for a place to stay for the night. In the end, they decided to camp in the forest nearby.

The fire cackled softly, as they laid themselves down on the grass field (the guys and girls slept in separate camps).

"This sucks. We've been asking around for one whole day and nobody's heard of Patch Village."

"We will find it. Patience, Horohoro."

"Uh…"

Tao Ren then spoke, "What are our plans for tomorrow?"

"We'll see as it goes, I guess."

"…"

"Oh." Yoh suddenly gasped. "How come you joined our group suddenly, Ricky?"

"I'M RICK! Don't call me that!"

"Okay okay… Rick."

"That's better. Arh yes. Well… I've seen you fight, and I respect you for your value for life."

"Say what?"

"I respect you because you respect life."

"Hehehe. I still don't understand what you are saying."

"…"

"[Yoh. Shall I scout again?"

"Hehehe. It's okay. Do it tomorrow, I think it's too dark to see now."

"[I can see in the dark."

With that, he flew up into the sky and looked around, and returned to the ground seconds later.

"[There is a huge city about 20km from here."

"Hehehe. Great job, Sesshomaru."

He glanced at Yoh, and muttered, "[No problem."

Rick stood up now, and clapped his hands, beckoning them to listen to him.

"We had a long day. Let's get some rest, so that we can continue our journey tomorrow first thing in the morning."

"Hehehe. Sure thing Ricky."

"Don't call me that! I'M RICK!"

"Okay okay… Rick."

"Ignore him, Ricky. Just go to bed." Horohoro laughed.

"I'M RICK!"

"Goodnight Ricky."

"I'm – Arh… Forget it."

Sesshomaru looked up at the moon. _Goodnight, Rin._

The next day, they got up, and continued with their journey. By afternoon, they reached the city, all tired but glad. Tao Ren immediately withdrew some money and they used it to get "some" food. Within minutes, the food was utterly demolished, then they proceeded on to ask around again. They searched the libraries, they surfed the Internet, and they asked everyone they saw, but there was nothing on Patch Village. Soon, night fell once more, but this time they were able to get some hotel rooms (thanks to Tao Ren).

For three days, they went to several cities and towns, but there was nothing at all. Then on the fourth day…

"Patch Village?" The stranger's eyes lit up. "I've heard of it, but I'm not too sure of its location. I think the lady who lives there may know."

They looked in the direction of the place the stranger pointed. It was a large and grand looking mansion, complete with the servants, who were tending the garden. They thanked him happily, and walked towards the mansion.

Yoh walked cautiously towards the metal gate, and rung the bell.

A burley African security guard answered the door, he asked, "What do you want?"

"Hello. Er. We're looking for the mistress of the house."

"Who are you guys?"

"We are er… friends of her?"

"Come on. At least make some effort when you lie."

"Arh all right. We are shamans, and we heard that the mistress of this house knows the location of Patch Village."

"Patch Village?…" He muttered, as he opened the gate. "Come in then."

The group went into the mansion, and basked in the grandness of the place, while they followed the guard. All (Tao Ren tried to look disinterested, but his eyes gave the game away) but Shizen were impressed. _There's something amiss here. I can feel it._

The guard led them into the living room, and sat them down, and then called for her mistress. In no time, an elegant looking lady walked down the staircase. She looked middle-aged, possibly forty or over, and wore a long flowing dress.

"My name is Natalie. So I assume that all of you here are shamans?"

"Uh…" they muttered.

"The path to Patch Village is long and tiring. I will tell you everything you need to know to get there." She yawned. "However, I'm too tired right now. I will tell you tomorrow morning. Get some rest too everyone. Fred, show them to their rooms."

"Wait," Kagome waved. "Are you a Shaman too?"

The lady grinned, "What do you think?"

They thanked her promptly, and then followed the butler called Fred, to their rooms for the night. The house was large enough for each person to occupy one room. Yoh entered his room with a huge shock – the room was the size of a normal living room. Grinning, he laid himself down on the bed, and closed his eyes. It was nice to have some alone time.

"[Yoh. Something seems amiss here."

"Huh?"

"There is something strange about this place. It feels oddly familiar."

"What do you mean 'oddly familiar'? Haha. It's probably nothing, don't worry so much, Sesshomaru."

"[…"

"Hehehe. Whatever it is, let's get some rest first. We'll solve the problem as soon as we get some rest."

Then there was a soft knock on the door, and Shizen and Kagome entered the room.

Shizen spoke, "There is something weird about this place. It feels almost like…"

"Naraku," finished Kagome.

"Do a spirit possession, Yoh. Sesshomaru-sama can confirm our suspicions."

Yoh looked lost, then he asked, "Who's Naraku?"

"[An evil hanyou from the time of the warring states."

Yoh gulped, that definitely didn't sound good at all. He did a spirit possession, and immediately, he felt a lot of things. There is no doubt, there was a familiarly disgusting stench – it was Naraku's aura.

Yoh grabbed kyũselshu, and told the girls, "We must warn the rest. Naraku's presence bodes ill."

Then before they could exit the room, the door creaked open, and the lady called Natalie stood in the doorway. She clapped her hands, like as if congratulating them.

"Even in death, Sesshomaru is still so sharp. Well, I don't see the need to hide my real identity anymore."

Natalie cackled loudly, as she transformed. Her hair withdrew into her scalp, like a rewinded movie, and she grew larger, bulkier. Her voice became deeper as well, into that of a man.

"My real name is Shin. My guardian spirits are Naraku and his demons. Hao-sama sent me here to 'test' all of you."

The servants and maids around the house transformed into their real, ugly demonic form, as he spoke. Then Yoh laughed out loudly.

"Shin is such a funny name. Hahaha. Let's kick his shin."

"…"

"[Yoh… You're still in the mood to crack such stupid jokes?"

"Hehehe. It's okay. We can solve this easily."

"[…"

"…"

"Heh. You guys think too highly of yourselves. Hao-sama was wrong about you guys. This will be finished in –"

"Oi. Speak softer will you. You woke us from our pleasant sleep."

Tao Ren and the rest were standing behind her, behind them were a trail of defeated demon oversouls.

"This makes it more interesting. Naraku! SPIKES!"

Several large chunks of the house transformed into spikes and flew in all directions. Everyone dodged or blocked the attack quickly, and then began their attacks. Kagome's spiritual arrow broke a hole in Shin's abdomen. He merely laughed, as the patch of flesh regenerated. Rick swung the Banryu, sending pulses of energy towards him. He laughed again, and a barrier appeared around him.

"I have Naraku. I am invincible. You can never hurt me."

Looking down, Shizen spoke, "I have Ah-un. I have the strength of twice a dragon."

On each of her arms appeared curved, jagged blades, and she swung both forth, and energy balls blasted out continuously at Shin. He laughed at the first few attacks, but when Kagome's second arrow broke though his barrier, the energy balls rained on him like rocks on an egg. He was literally shattered, both his body and his pride. Lying on the floor, he pressed a few buttons on his oracle bell.

-Shizen ----- Furyoko: 1, 225… Shin ----- Furyoku: 19,834… Kagome Higarashi ----- Furyoku: 1,470 -

"How… How was that possible?…"

"Complacency," Yoh said.

"Complacency?…"

"That's right. You never thought we were your match. You checked the values of our Furyoku with the oracle bell, and thought it was impossible for us to even harm you."

"… I was… wrong…"

"Wrong indeed." Came a voice from outside. "The penalty for such a misdeed, is DEATH."

A tall, bespectacled man pushed up his spectacles, and then pointed a gun at the window.

He pushed up his spectacles again, and then bellowed, "DIE."

Yoh stood in front of Shin, arms spread apart, and spoke, "Whoever you are. You have no right to take his life."

The man lowered his pistol, and pushed up his spectacles again, "We do. Because we are the X-laws."

"X-Laws?"

He pushed up his spectacles again, "My name is Marco. The X-Laws is a group formed to destroy Hao. From the looks, you guys are probably his minions."

"[We, Hao's minions? I, Sesshomaru, will never succumb to serving such filth."

"In that case, you are on our side. Why are you protecting him? He is the bad guy here. He deserves to die."

"Nobody deserves to die," Shizen spoke, and the rest of the group walked to Yoh's side. "If he dies, we shall die along with them."

Tao Ren laughed this time, "You forgot to push up your specs, freak."

Marco pushed down his spectacles, and then muttered to his teammates, "Fools. Take them down." Then he pushed them back on again.

The X-Laws pointed their weapons at the group and were ready to fire when there was a loud shout.

"WIND SCAR!"

They turned their heads in the direction of the source of the sound, and were welcomed by some waves of energy. The X-Laws had no time to fire their weapons – the energy blasted them off course with blinding speed.

Inuyasha stood there, smirking proudly at them.

"Yo! Kagome! Haven't seen you for a few days and you're dying already?"

**At The New York City Airport…**

Anna was at the airport with Manta, thinking about what her teacher had said to her. _I need to find another strong person to be Yoh's ally. Shizen, Kagome, Tamao, Rick… Yes. I need one more. _

"What are you thinking about, Anna-san?"

"None of your business."

"… Okay…"

Then came a different voice, "May I sit here?"

They turned to see Faust, who was standing up.

"Hello." He waved weakly. "How have you been?"

**-END-**

* * *

Hello! Very sorry for the really really late update. My schedule was totally hectic for the past two weeks. Had tests like once or twice a week. Darn tiring. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I shall try to update again asap.

Note:

1. The reason why Shizen remembered herself as Rin was because Anna summoned part of her spirit from Sesshomaru. Thus giving her a little of Sesshomaru's abilities as well, including the ability to sense Naraku's aura.

2. I havent talked much about Tamao's attacks. Will try to do so in the next chapters.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9: Of Medicine And Jokes **

**At The Mansion… **

"INUYASHA!" Kagome shouted happily.

"Hah. I knew it. Shamans are still not half as strong as demons!" He exclaimed proudly.

Tamao muttered softly, "Er… Inuyasha? You better stop soon."

He ignored her advice, and continued, "Youkai power is so much stronger. Hah. I don't see the big deal about Hao!"

The happy look on Kagome's face dissolved into a frown.

"Oswari."

There was a deafening boom, and dust flew all over the place.

**Back At The New York City Airport…**

Faust looked forlorn, as he sat beside Anna and Manta, then he asked dully, "What are you people doing here?"

"Nothing much, just handing this secret manual to Yoh. How about you?"

"I'm going back to Germany. Perhaps the Shaman Fight is not for me. Besides, it may not be able to bring Eliza back."

"Your late wife?"

"That is correct."

"I can bring her back," Anna said softly. "I am an itako."

"Itako?"

Manta answered, "An itako is a spirit medium. Anna-san can summon Eliza back."

"Really?"

She held the necklace of 1,080 beads in one hand, closed her eyes and then began to chant. The necklace floated in the air in front of her and glowed, as the ghostly figure of a woman appeared slowly.

"[Faust…"

**Back In The Town…**

The X-Laws were now gone, nowhere to be found and Inuyasha was still angry at Kagome for the 'oswari' just moments ago. He kept his arms crossed, as the group headed for the next town.

"Come'on Inuyasha. Don't be so petty. You can let Sesshomaru to use your senses to find Patch Village."

"[I'm not going into that filthy body!"

"I won't let THIS guy enter my body anyway!"

The argument lasted for quite awhile. Everyone shook their heads in disbelief – the argument was really just between Kagome and Inuyasha (Sesshomaru barely spoke a word). The weather was very hot that day, but other than the discomfort, the trip was quite enjoyable. They reached another small town, and began to ask around, but once again, with no success. They were about to leave the town when suddenly, a boy called after them.

"HEY! Wait up!" He shouted, as he ran after them. "I see you guys are missing some members. Can I join your team?"

"Team?"

"Yeah. Theme park!" He slid his right hand along his left arm, mimicking a roller-coaster ride.

Everyone turned away at those very words, and was about to walk off when the boy waved his arms frantically.

"WAIT! Okay okay… My name is Chocolove. Like you guys (except for inuyasha, he muttered softly under his breath), I am a shaman." Everyone was now paying some attention. "I heard from some of the priests, that we have to form teams of three, in order to participate in the shaman fight. Hao has already formed his TEAMS."

Tao Ren looked skeptical, and asked suspiciously, "How did you hear of it? We have traveled for so many days now, and we never heard of anything like that."

Chocolove grinned, and then a spirit of a jaguar appeared. "With him of course."

With that, he did his oversoul and explained, "My mediums are: One, my own eyes. Two, my own nose. And three, my own limbs. With Mic here, I can possess exceptional senses, even better than inuyasha."

"Humph. How do you prove that? You're just a shaman. You aren't comparable to a strong youkai like me!"

"Uh… You're just a hanyou aren't you?" Chocolove asked. "Sorry. I overheard everything just now, that was why I came."

"FINE. Read those words over that that sign!" Inuyasha pointed at the tiny dot of a road sign.

"Gas station 5 miles away," he laughed. "The name of the gas station is 'Billy's Powerhouse'. Just let me travel with you guys for awhile and you will realize I am not lying."

Everyone discussed and they came to the same decision. Along with Yoh's group, Chocolove headed for the gas station.

**At The Adirondack Mountain Range…**

Anna, Faust and Manta were heading for the direction pointed by the beads. Though the rocky road ahead was covered in flora, the scorching sun was still melting the skins off their faces. Irritated (except for Faust, who was still very happy that he could see his wife again) and hot, they climbed the mountains and crossed the streams. They were about to climb another mountain when they saw a familiar figure – it was Hao. Manta was so shocked his face turned a ghostly white colour, while Anna and Faust remained expressionless.

"Arh. Anna. Delivering the secret manual to Yoh?"

"Call me Anna-SAN, and I'm glad you know. Get out of my way. He needs it to defeat you."

"Indeed. He needs it desperately. Yoh is still too weak to help me become the shaman king. But to defeat me?" Hao laughed loudly. "Impossible."

"Y-Yoh will defeat you!" Manta cried out suddenly.

"How rude! Nobody talks to Hao-sama in that manner!" screamed a little African girl, who was standing beside Hao.

"Your name is Manta, right?" He asked, smilingly. "I applaud you bravery, but stay out of this unless you're a shaman."

"I shall repeat myself once more." Anna was suddenly in front of Hao. "Get out of my way."

Hao walked off slowly, "Get the manual to Yoh soon. I need him to become stronger. Opacho, let's go."

With that, the spirit of fire took the both of them and flew off into the sky.

"Anna-san…" Faust muttered. "I will do whatever I can to help Yoh become the shaman king."

Anna looked at him, as the sides of her lips curled up slightly.

"Thank you."

**At 'Billy's Powerhouse"…**

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!"

Inuyasha was frantic. He could not believe that Chocolove was right, and that his senses are not as good as Mic's. There were some laughter here and there, and Tao immediately took the chance to form his group.

"So my team will include Horohoro and Chocolove."

"WHAT? I'm NOT teaming up with a China-boy!"

"Who are you calling a China-boy??"

Ren's fist came into contact with Horohoro's face all of a sudden, leaving behind a bruised eye, and causing some anger to build up. Ren dragged him away from the gas station, where they did their oversouls. Amidst the explosions of ice and fire, Chocolove shouted at them.

"Let's solve this amicably!" He shouted. "Like monks."

The last two words were the turning point. Ren poked his huge nose with his kwan dao, while Horohoro drove his snowboard on his head with a tremendous force.

Yoh shook his head and sighed, "I envy them. They're already so close, even though they have only met for a few moments."

Tamao then blushed slightly, giggled, and shook her head repeatedly, then she asked very softly, "Senior Yoh. Can I join your team?"

Shizen stopped her immediately, and asked her back, "Remember what Master Yohmei said to us? We're supposed to form a girls team to help Yoh. Besides, imagine what Anna-san will do to you if you really end up in Yoh's team."

Yoh turned around, confused, "Huh? Did anyone just call me?"

"Nothing nothing…"

"Hehehe. Okay."

"The three of us shall form a team then," announced Kagome.

"What shall we call ourselves?" Shizen prompted.

They began to brainstorm some names for their team, as Yoh, Rick and Inuyasha stood behind them (Sesshomaru, and Bankotsu floated beside them).

"Aww man. I wanted to join the girls – at least I know Shizen. Are we really going to be teammates? I barely know you, Yoh."

"Hehehe. I wanted to join them as well, but I could not imagine Anna's fury… If she ever found out I did that." Yoh began to tear slightly. "Just thinking of it makes me cry."

"…"

"Hehehe. It's okay, Ricky. We can always build up friendships."

"Don't call me RICKY. I'm RICK! R-I-C-K Rick!"

"Okay okay… Relax."

Soon after, everything was resolved. Tao Ren would be the leader of his team, Team The Ren, though Horohoro was very strongly opposed to the idea. Kagome would the leader for the girls' team, Team Hikari (light). This left Yoh and Rick, which meant they need one more person to form another team. Putting that aside, the group continued their journey, moving from cities to towns, and towns to cities. They finally reached the Adirondack Mountains near New York City.

"Anna?"

In front of them, were now Anna, Manta, and Faust!

"Yoh. What took you so long?" Anna walked towards him calmly. "Hao and his group already entered Patch Village."

"W-w-w-we got kinda lost."

There was a moment of awkward silence – Yoh seemed to have used the wrong words.

"Er… Anyway, what's Faust doing with you?"

"Faust will be your new teammate, because he is strong. We have all witnessed his raw power before."

There was some commotion, as many of them showed their disagreement and discontent. Those who were seeing Faust for the first time were completely lost. Then Yoh and Sesshomaru noticed at the same time – an unfamiliar spirit of a beautiful lady floating beside Faust. At the sight of that, they immediately understood, and began to hush the rest.

Finally, silence fell once more, and Yoh asked, "So Anna… Any idea where Patch Village is anyway?"

"Yes. But in order to prove yourself worthy of me, you MUST find it yourself."

"I'm not so worthy of you…" Yoh whispered to himself.

"What did you say?"

"Arh! Nothing nothing! Hehehe…" Yoh shook his head furiously. "Anyway… Can you just give us a clue?"

"Okay. But just ONE." Anna moved her finger around the place. "There is a clue somewhere around here."

Yoh surveyed the surroundings. On the hard, granite mountaintop was reasonably dense vegetation, and some squirrels dashed up and down the trees; other than that, there were nothing else. Then he saw. There was a small painting on a large core stone. Yoh bent down to take a closer look.

"Guys. Look. There's a painting here."

Everyone crowded around Yoh, as they looked closely at the painting. The clear outlines of the painting depicted a jaguar, with the sun above its head.

"What? I don't see anything!" Inuyasha pushed Rick away to take a closer look.

Manta squinted his eyes, and muttered, "I can barely make it out… But I think it looks like a rabbit."

Tamao spoke for the first time in days, "Only shamans can see it!"

"But Manta is not a shaman. How come he can make out part of it?"

Inuyasha then sat down, and spoke, "Actually, I cannot see spirits. I can only hear them. That's why I can't sense most of their presence."

"[Really, Inuyasha?" Bankotsu asked suddenly.

"BANKOTSU!"

"Maybe Manta is part shaman. Since he can see spirits clearly."

"That would explain everything… But now what?"

They continued to stare at the painting for a few moments.

"Come' on, Anna… SAN!" Horohoro begged. "Just tell us what this clue means."

"No."

"Please…"

"No."

"Pretty –"

"No."

"…"

"Hmm… Jaguars represent agility! Maybe we must run around the rock?"

"Howbout the sun?"

"Oh yeah…"

"It brings light to people! We must wait till the sun shines on the rock?"

Tao Ren looked carefully, and realized. The core stone was a doorknob. He mustered all his strength, and turned it so that the sun in the painting faced the sun in the sky. Immediately, a trap door leading downwards opened up. Surprised, but glad they found out the answer to the clue, they cautiously proceeded into the darkness beneath. Then, just before Inuyasha entered, the trapdoor closed quickly, plunging them into total darkness. Inuyasha was now the only person outside the passage.

To see, they all did their oversouls, whose energies provided a little light. They continued walking, and they found another painting on the wall. This time, it was one of a wolf and a cloud. They moved their fingers along the rock, and found some gaps – this was too, a door. The only question now was how to open it?

They tried everything but with no avail. They tried attacking the door with all they could, they tried singing to the door, and they even tried begging the door. Anna stood at a corner, shaking her head in disappointment. After several tiring tries, Horohoro leaned on the door, panting. Annoyed, Rick stuck his Banryu into the ground.

"Ow…"

Rick helped him up and he thanked him quickly. Right in front of them is another painting.

"The last painting. The dog."

They finally understood. This entrance was customized for them – it would be different for each group. Yoh removed Sesshomaru from kyũselshu, and they moved towards the rock, which has began to glow. It glowed brighter, as they moved closer to it and finally, everyone of them were engulfed in the bright, white light, and then everything went blank. They were going to Patch Village.

**I****n The Residence Of The Patch Chieftain…**

Lady Goldva was looking at the screen. She took out a remote control and adjusted the brightness – the light was too blinding.

"Good. All is going in the way of the Great Spirits."

**-END-**

* * *

Hello people. Thanks for the endless support. Really glad that people are actually reading my stories. I think I may not able to update much. This year is really scary. We have tests like every week, and we all mug like crazy, almost no time to even breathe. Haha. Really, and the story format is also kinda interfering with my gp essay thing. GP's all factual and no-nonsense, while my story is like... you know... Haha. Okay, enough with my rubbish. Once more, I thank you all for reading. Below are some notes.

Note:

1. The paintings in the story actually depict the five warriors in my story.

2. The jaguar represents Chocolove and Mic - who has the speed and swiftness of a jaguar.

3. The sun represents Tao Ren and Bason - who possess the fiery might of the sun.

4. The wolf represents Horohoro and Kororo - the icy, ferocious wolf.

5. The cloud represents Rick and Bankotsu - whose hellberd can create lightning bolts.

6. Finally, the dog represents Yoh and Sesshomaru - the legendary dog youkai, who possess infinite power.

That's all folks. I'll try to finish another chapter over the chinese new year. Oh yes. Speaking of that. I wish everyone a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year!


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